1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pillows, specifically to travel pillows.
2. Description of the Related Art
Travel is notoriously uncomfortable. Makers of vehicles must balance a great variety of needs when designing a vehicle, and therefore comfort is often sacrificed for economy, space, safety, etc. Accordingly, efforts have been made at making traveling more comfortable. Such efforts include chairs/seats configured with comfort features such as reclining mechanisms, headrests, heat elements, vibration elements, etc.
However, seats generally only provide a limited number of comfortable positions for a user. Accordingly, efforts have been made at creating comfort accessories to enhance passenger comfort in vehicles. The following are examples of such and are hereby incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,018 by Colombo, et al. discloses a pillow is attachable to the window of an automobile or other vehicle via one or more suction cups. The pillow comprises a cushion portion consisting of foam rubber or other soft, resilient material, a fabric cover for the cushion that may be removable, a vertical back portion to which one or more suction cups are attached and which comprises a nonskid material on the side that faces the vehicle window to minimize vertical and horizontal slippage of the pillow when in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,483 by Horkey, indicates a headrest for securing to the window in the cab of a truck, or to any supporting surface in other types of vehicles, employing a cushion of porous plastic material surrounded by a nonporous material. The cushion has a port extending through the casing and into the porous material. A valve is mounted on the casing to control air flow through the port upon head impact with the cushion and substantially closing the port upon inflow of air through the port and into the cushion after impact. Means are mounted on the cushion for affixing it t the window of the cab of the truck or other surfaces in other types of vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,772 by Perl, et al. references an inflatable pillow having fastening strips along one edge thereof is attachable to an external structure to enable easy attachment of the pillow to the structure, followed by inflation, and use by a user. Suction cups may also be provided along the pillow edge for attachment to a vertical glass window.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,855 by Williams, et al. discloses a headrest which is mounted to the inside rear window of a vehicle by attached suction cups which permit the headrest to be mounted, positioned, released and repositioned to the vehicle window adjacently behind the vehicle seats.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,466 by Pesterfield references a headrest includes recessed suction cups for detachably attaching the headrest to a support surface to substantially prevent the headrest from sagging away from the surface, and limit relative movement between the headrest and the surface.
While such efforts have been made in making pillow-type devices, many fail to provide compact/compactable pillows, easily transportable pillows, pillows that may be adjusted for use, pillows that advantageously dangle pillows resistant to damage from coupling members, and/or modular systems. Further, many such devices are expensive, bulky, and/or cumbersome; leaving large unsightly marks on windows; and/or include many parts. Further, many are difficult to clean and/or are unsanitary.
What is needed is a pillow that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.